CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Wilmington Uses Late Rally to Sweep Dash

Published on May 1, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Wilmington, DE - Everything seemed stacked against the Wilmington Blue Rocks late in their bid to complete a three-game sweep of the Winston-Salem Dash on Sunday at Frawley Stadium. Entering the bottom of the eighth inning, Wilmington's offense had managed just one hit as the Rocks trailed by a single score. The Blue Crew flipped the script however, quadrupling its hit total by sending nine men to the plate and taking advantage of one critical miscue in a three-run frame that earned the Rocks a 4-2 win.

Carlo Testa got things started with hit broken-bat bouncer that had just enough on it to sneak through the infield into center. The inning-opening single was followed by a failed sacrifice attempt that resulted in a pop-up out off the bat of catcher Ryan Eigsti. But Deivy Batista rekindled the momentum by drawing a free pass, putting two men on for Whit Merrifield. The left fielder came through, lining a single that bounced in front of right fielder Jose Martinez. As Martinez went to scoop the ball up and throw towards the plate, he picked his glove up too soon allowing the ball to squirt past him. Two runs scored on the play to give Wilmington its first lead of the day, and Merrifield hustled all the way around to third base.

The Rocks got an insurance tally three batters later, when Nick Francis muscled a grounder past a diving second baseman for an RBI single. All of the damage came off of Winston-Salem reliever Taylor Thompson (1-1). The right-hander had allowed just one run in six previous appearances.

The rally got Wilmington starter Elisaul Pimentel off the hook. Pimentel allowed a pair of second-inning scores on a sacrifice fly by Kyle Colligan and an RBI double to the left-center alley by Luis Sierra. The catcher's run-scoring knock provided the Dash with their last base runner until the ninth inning. Pimentel retired the next 16 batters he faced, fanning six in the process.

Kelvin Herrera (2-1) entered the game in the eighth, and tossed two scoreless frames to get the win. He yielded a two-out single in the ninth, but also whiffed a pair.

Winston-Salem starter Andre Rienzo deserved a better fate. Rienzo retired the first nine Wilmington batters he faced, and did not surrender a hit until there were two outs in the fifth. He lost his shutout that frame when he hit Alex McClure, allowed a double to Testa and then uncorked a wild pitch that brought home McClure.

Rienzo's day ended after seven frames, allowing just one run on one hit, while whiffing nine and walking two. He left in-line for the win, but was disappointed by the Rocks' late heroics.

Wilmington looks to extend its winning streak to four on Monday when it welcomes the Lynchburg Hillcats to Frawley Stadium for the opener of a three-game set at 6:35 p.m. Opening Day starter Tim Melville (2-2, 3.80) hits the hill for the Rocks. He will be opposed by Hillcat southpaw Chris Masters (2-0, 1.56).

It is a Dollar Monday presented by TD Bank. Fans can buy one ticket and get a second for just one dollar. In addition, every Monday home game is a Dollar Dog Night, courtesy of Dietz & Watson. For tickets call 302-888-BLUE or visit bluerocks.com

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

Wilmington had its roster reshaped a bit before the game began on Sunday. Infielder Adam Frost was released by the Kansas City organization and outfielder Adrian Ortiz was activated from the disabled list to fill his slot on the Rocks' active roster. Frost had seen very limited playing time in 2011, batting .214 with three RBIs and four stolen bases in five games played. Ortiz, who was a postseason Carolina League All-Star in 2010, missed the opening month of 2010 with a strained left thumb. Ortiz did not play on Sunday.

For the second time in the Rocks' three-game sweep of Winston-Salem, a Wilmington starter retired at least 15 consecutive batters. On Friday, Jake Odorizzi sat down 15 straight Dash hitters on his way to seven scoreless innings, 10 strikeouts and a win. Elisaul Pimentel did him one better on Sunday, getting 16 straight outs to end his outing. Wilmington starters allowed only two earned runs and 11 hits while fanning 21 in 19.1 innings pitched over the weekend.

Of the Rocks' 15 wins in 2011, eight of them have come in games where the Rocks trailed at some point in the contest. Sunday's victory was only Wilmington's second of the season when trailing after seven innings. The Blue Crew also improved to 13-0 when scoring four or more runs in a game.

Check out the Wilmington Blue Rocks Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Carolina League Stories from May 1, 2011


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central